Europe INNOVA Paper n° 14 Imp3rove: A European Project with Impact 50 Success Stories on Innovation Management European Commission Enterprise and Industry Europe INNOVA Paper n° 14 Imp3rove: A European Project with Impact 50 Success Stories on Innovation Management Kai Engel Eva Diedrichs Sabine Brunswicker et al. Europe INNOVA is an initiative of the European Commission’s Directorate General Enterprise and Industry which aspires to become the laboratory for the development and testing of new tools and instruments in support of innovation with the view to help innovative enterprises innovate faster and better. It brings together public and private innovation support providers such as innovation agencies, technology transfer offices, business incubators, financing intermediaries, cluster organisations and others. Additional information on Europe INNOVA is available at www.europe-innova.eu. Legal Notice This publication has been produced as part of the Europe INNOVA initiative. The views expressed in this publication, as well as the information included in it, do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of the European Commission and in no way commit the institution. Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to 00 800 numbers or these calls may be billed. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2010 ISBN 978-92-79-14070-9 doi:10.2769/35114 © European Union, 2010 Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged. Cover photo: Ebusiness Concept © Nmedia #6549225 – Fotolia Printed in Luxembourg PRINTED ON WHITE CHLORINEFREE PAPER Contents PREFACE ...............................................................................................4 1 MANAGEMENT SUMMARY ...........................................................................7 2 IMP³ROVEA TRULY EUROPEAN AND FLEXIBLE APPROACH DRIVING INNOVATION MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE IN EUROPE WITH SUSTAINABLE IMPACT ......................9 2.1 The Key Elements of IMP³rove and the Key Value Propositions for the Various Stakeholders .......9 2.1.1 Linking Innovation Management to Sustainable and Profitable Growth based on the A.T. Kearney House of Innovation .................................................................................. 10 2.1.2 The IMP³rove Process and the IMP³rove Platform ..................................................... 11 2.1.3 The Key Value Propositions of IMP³rove ............................................................... 13 2.2 The Scope of IMP³rove—Its European Coverage and even Beyond ............................... 14 2.2.1 The IMP³rove Backbone—The Largest Benchmarking Database on Innovation Management in SMEs .. 14 2.2.2 IMP³rove Represents a Large Network of Associated IMP³rove Experts ............................... 18 2.2.3 IMP³rove beyond Europe ............................................................................. 21 2.3 IMP³rove Services Deliver Impact and Allow Key Stakeholders to Benefit from it in a "Customized" Way .................................................................................. 21 2.3.1 IMP³rove allows SMEs to improve their Innovation Management Performance ...................... 21 2.3.2 Wide Variety of Reasons for Applying the IMP³rove Approach at SMEs ............................... 23 2.3.3 IMP³rove Enhances the Service Delivery of Consultants and Drives the Establishment of Sustainable Business Relationships ................................................................................. 27 2.3.4 IMP³rove Customization, Competency Building and Portfolio Integration at IMP³rove Experts ...... 30 2.3.5 IMP³rove for Financial Actors—IMP³rove Complements Existing Financial Tools ..................... 35 2.3.6 IMP³rove for Intermediaries and Academia—Exploiting IMP³rove for Educational Purposes ......... 38 2.3.7 IMP³rove for Policy Makers—Supporting and Increasing the Impact of Innovation Policy Making ... 39 3 IMP³ROVE HISTORYFROM A PROJECT TO REALIZATION OF THE VISION OF A TRULY EUROPEAN APPROACH............................................................................. 45 3.1 The Development of IMP³rove ....................................................................... 45 3.1.1 Developing the IMP³rove Approach .................................................................. 45 3.1.2 Testing the IMP³rove Approach ....................................................................... 46 3.1.3 Disseminating the IMP³rove Approach ............................................................... 47 3.2 IMP³rove as European Pre-standard ................................................................. 48 3.3 Key Lessons Learned from the IMP³rove Field Test as the First Proof of Concept .................. 49 3.3.1 Value-creation Testing ................................................................................ 49 3.3.2 Testing on a Truly European Level..................................................................... 50 3.3.3 Improving the Test Approaches During the Field Test ................................................ 50 4 LOOKING AHEADIMP³ROVE FOR SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVENESS IN EUROPE .......... 51 4.1 Implication for Future Innovation Support Services ................................................ 51 4.2 Further Improvements of IMP³rove to Meet Changing Market Demand .......................... 51 4.2.1 Technical Enhancements for More User Friendliness, Modularization, Interactivity and Flexibility of the Platform, Tools and Related Services ........................................................... 52 1 4.2.2 Community-building and Strong Involvement of the IMP³rove Associated Partner Network across Europe . 52 4.2.3 Establishing the European Innovation Management Academy ...................................... 53 4.2.4 Further Developing the IMP³rove Database and Maintain it as the Largest Most Up-to-date Database on Innovation Management ............................................................... 53 4.2.5 Gaining Further Insights on Drivers and Barriers of Innovation Management as Key Success Factor for Profitable Growth ................................................................................... 53 4.2.6 Actively Supporting Community-building and Exchange of Best Practices in Innovation Management Proficiency and Support ................................................................................ 53 4.2.7 Designing the Business Model that will Best Secure IMP³rove’s Sustainability ........................ 54 4.3 Invitation to Leverage IMP³rove ..................................................................... 54 4.3.1 Opportunities for Policy Makers....................................................................... 54 4.3.2 Opportunities for Innovation Management Support Providers and Consultants ..................... 54 4.3.3 Opportunities for Financial Actors .................................................................... 55 4.3.4 Opportunities for SMEs ............................................................................... 55 5 ANNEX I: 50 CASES TO PROVE THE IMPACT OF IMP³ROVE ...................................... 56 5.1 Case Examples from SMEs ........................................................................... 56 5.1.1 List of SMEs ........................................................................................... 58 5.1.2 5M; Czech Republic—Using IMP³rove Consulting Services for Strengthening the Communication Channels for Innovation and Innovation Project Cycle ............................. 61 5.1.3 ADDICO J.Górska i E.Szumlak Sp. j., Poland—Improving ADDICO’s Market Position and Innovation Management ............................................................................. 63 5.1.4 AEA s.r.l., Italy—Turning from Sales Decrease to Growth on International Markets ................... 65 5.1.5 Alpha Omega Computers, UK—Transforming the Bottom Line ...................................... 68 5.1.6 AST Projekt sp. z o.o., Poland—Winning Clients and Partners ......................................... 69 5.1.7 ATIS, France—Successfully Mastering Industrial and Commercial Development ..................... 71 5.1.8 AUDACIO, Czech Republic—Expansion built on Innovation Enablers ................................ 72 5.1.9 AUTOMATIZACIONES SIMAC, S.L., Spain—Developing proprietary product for profitable growth ...... 74 5.1.10 AWEMA, UK—Expanding Business in the Social Sector ............................................... 75 5.1.11 Beantech, Italy—Accessing New Markets through Strong Innovation Culture ....................... 77 5.1.12 Brockhaus Software & Consulting AG, Germany - Creating a Triple WIN Situation .................... 79 5.1.13 COLLECT CONSULTING SP. Z O. O., Poland—Regional Expansion of Innovation Management Consulting Services ................................................................................... 81 5.1.14 COMPONOSOLLERTIA, S.A.L, or A.I.T. (Aplicaciones Industriales Técnicas— Technical Industrial Applications), Spain—Speeding up Innovation ................................. 84 5.1.15 Doradztwo Biznesowe KOBO Konsultant, Poland—A Successful Case of Improving a Client’s Innovation Management Capability .................................................................. 86 5.1.16